A metallic case called a hohlraum holds the fuel capsule for the NIF experiments (Photo: Eduard Dewald/LLNL)

Mock up of a hohlraum used to hold the plastic capsule (Image: Lawrence livermore)

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Article Summary

In a perfect example of beating swords into plowshares, a team of scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California reached a milestone in the quest for practical fusion power using a process designed for the development and testing of nuclear weapons. The announcement in the February 12 issue of Nature claims that the team used the world’s most powerful laser barrage to produce a controlled fusion reaction where more energy was extracted from the fuel than was put into it.